The Runaway Asteroid, Michael D. Cooper [mobi reader android TXT] 📗

The response would come through after a delay of several minutes. As they waited, Joe said, "You seem uneasy, Zip. What's there to worry about?"

"I just like completion. That ship we were chasing carried the last of the pirates from Mars, and I'd just feel a lot better if there were some debris, some evidence that they hadn't escaped."

"Zip," came a deep voice from the lounge next to the flight deck, "there's a lot of uncertainties in life, 'specially life in space. I been around a lot and believe me, the exception is when you really know everything that happened-and that's never."

"Sure, Steve," answered Zip, raising his voice. "I know. But I don't like it."

"You'll probably be uneasy most of your life then. C'mon, be like me. Lie down, relax, take a nap. You've been rushing for days now, especially the last couple when we were shooting through the void at top speed. Give it up now, boy. You can't do anything more."

Zip didn't answer, but he walked into the lounge. Steve Cliff was completely relaxed, with his feet propped on a table. His huge frame was sunk into the sofa deeper than Zip would have thought possible. Zip picked up a book that Mark had been reading, and lay down. In less than a minute, he was asleep with the open book face down on his chest.

"Up you go, Zip, it's dinnertime." Steve's normally boisterous voice was gentle and almost subdued. Zip took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. He sat up, put the book aside and ran his hands through his red hair.

"What's going on?"

"You've been out almost four hours. Figured I'd make myself useful so I whipped up some food. Here you go." Steve set a tray down on the nearby table. There were mashed potatoes, salad heavy on diced tomatoes just the way Zip liked it, and a few pieces of very thinly sliced roast beef in a luscious brown gravy.

"Looks delicious, Steve; thanks."

"Coffee's coming up in a minute, steaming hot with half a teaspoon of sugar." Zip reflected for a moment about how little time he had known Steve and how well he fit in to the group of three Starmen. Steve already knew how he liked his coffee-hot and fresh-and what his favorite meal was. While he was enjoying the aroma of the meal before tucking into it, Steve brought in the coffee.

Zip lifted a mouthful of roast beef and potatoes. "What's going on?" he repeated.

"Mark got hold of the big guys in Eagle City, told 'em what was going on out here. They told us to wait until the Earth forces showed up and then get on back to Mars. We've been under way almost an hour." Zip nodded.

"Mark says there's more and wants to talk to you whenever you're ready."

"Send him in."

Mark came in as Zip put a fork into a chunk of tomato and lifted it out of the bowl, dripping with dressing. "This really is delicious, Steve!" he called out as Steve disappeared onto the flight deck, leaving the two Starmen to themselves.

"Steve told you we're on our way back to Mars, I'm sure," said Mark by way of preamble. Zip nodded. "Commander De Koven also said that we are to report directly to Mars Base. We drop Steve off at Eagle City and go right on to the Base without getting out of the ship." Mars Base was Starlight Enterprise's headquarters on Mars. It was a huge plant, covering several thousand acres of Martian desert near the north pole and far from any other settlement.

"What's up?" Zip's gray eyes peered over the rim of the coffee mug as he took a swallow.

"There's no danger of further attack on Mars-everything seems to be secure in Eagle City-but we're to be given an assignment with a 'significant time factor,' as the Commander put it. Too sensitive to put out over the radio even with scramblers and tight beam."

"They must've learned something from the pirates they captured."

Joe peeked around the corner. "No-I think they're going to give us a medal and a month off for liberating Eagle City!"

Two days later, the Star Ranger was cruising at a good clip a few miles above the Martian desert. Eagle City was behind them, and the course was set almost due north. Mark was reminiscing about the parting with Steve.

"Don't worry about a thing, boys-I'll make sure the little folk get back to the Moon safely enough." Steve was referring to Jack and Jill, the diminutive citizens of Titan who had played a critical role in rescuing Eagle City from the pirates during their assault on Mars.

Mark felt very badly that he hadn't been able to see the Titanians. Four days before, they had left Mars without notice to begin the frantic chase of the escaping pirates, and now they were urgently called to Mars Base with no time permitted to see their friends. Personal relationships were important to Mark. As the Star Ranger returned to Mars from the Asteroid Belt, he had made a recorded greeting and farewell for Jack and Jill and entrusted it to Steve. Mark was beginning to realize that for him, the life of a Starman would be marked with frequent partings and sorrows.

The always-ebullient Joe did not seem to be affected. "Don't worry about it, we'll see them again. They'll understand. Right now we're off on another adventure!"

As the Star Ranger approached the pole, Mark shifted his mood and hoped that Joe would be right.

"Oooh, yes! Look at that!" exulted Joe, pointing out of the front of the ship. A light came over the horizon like a flame too bright to be looked at comfortably. The sun was reflecting off the glass-sheathed buildings of Mars Base, Starlight Enterprise's primary headquarters on the fourth planet.

As the Star Ranger rapidly closed the distance, Mark radioed for landing clearance.

"Gorgeous!" said Joe. From the pilot's seat he could make out the airport, the hangar, the sprawling laboratory and research buildings and the manufacturing centers. Men, robots, and machines scurried around the plant. Security was very high; ever since the pirate attack SE had redoubled its efforts to keep out unauthorized personnel. This was the area from which Starlight Enterprise conducted its Martian operations.

Immediately after landing, the Starmen were brought into a spacious office. As they entered, a clean-shaven man with a rather long crew cut looked up.

"Mr. Konig!" exclaimed Zip as he led the little parade into the central portion of the complex. "I sure didn't expect to see you here!" Konig was in charge of security throughout the entire SE system.

"Welcome to the Base, Starmen!" Konig stood up and came around his desk to greet each of them with a warm, two-handed handshake. He was a genial man, large but by no means overweight, very strong, firm, and of almost regal bearing. He gave the impression of being always available and affable, but never to be taken for granted.

"Sit down," he continued. "What I have to say is of vital importance and I'm afraid we don't have time to do more than get you briefed on the situation. I can't even take the time to commend you for the outstanding work you did against the pirates. Richard is busting with pride over his newest Starmen! I can't say I blame him-you did marvelous work! You three are wanted on Earth for some special recognition, but unfortunately we have a brief mission for you first."

"Richard" was Richard Starlight, the head of Starlight Enterprise who had entrusted Mark and Joe with their Martian assignment.

"Thank you, Mr. Konig," responded Zip simply.

"The pirates only had a few men placed here at the Base, but they were enough to shut down operations for the few days they needed to paralyze Eagle City. Frankly, it was a surprise for us and Richard wanted me to take personal charge of security on Mars until it was quite clear that the threat was past. Actually, I flew in with the invasion fleet. My most important assignment here is to set up a secret base for Starlight Enterprise, which will be a backup and defense unit prepared for any events such as the one we've just experienced."

"A secret base?"

"Yes. I'll be looking for the best site, recruiting the right people to man it, and drawing up plans for construction and the tasks it will have to perform. I don't need to tell you that the project is highly confidential. I'm only telling you about it because you're Starmen, and it will be a resource you'll need to become familiar with. Of course, there will be much more information coming your way later."

Oritz Konig spoke cleanly and clearly, but gave the [DB1]impression that his thoughts were racing faster than he could speak. He had had to discipline himself to speak so that others could follow him. There were few wasted words when he had to get a message across, but he was able to converse in a way that assured his listeners that he valued them as people and needed their cooperation. Konig manifested an extremely rare combination of being a "people person" as well as having a supremely disciplined and task-oriented mind.

"We interrogated the pirates while you were in the Asteroid Belt. We started with Troy Putnam, of course, but he won't say a word. He's got a strange kind of strength to him-genial in a lot of ways, but utterly inflexible and unbreakable when he doesn't want to cooperate.

"We questioned other pirate leaders, too, of course, and a lot of the rank and file. Not all of them cooperated, but enough did that we learned that they have a base in the Belt. It's no ordinary base. Most of the pirates don't know its origin but they can describe what it looks like.

"It's a fairly good-sized chunk of hard stone, mostly iron. It's hollow, and the base is inside. The access port is concealed. More to the point, it cannot be detected by radar.

"Some of the toughest of the pirates sneered that we'd never find it-that it couldn't be seen even if you were right on top of it."

Joe jumped in. "But sir, this technology is not new. There have been craft since the late twentieth century that were invisible to radar. There are other ways to find them-gravitational influences, to name one."

"Of course, Starman Taylor. This asteroid, however, appears to be the work of some advanced race, other than Earth. The pirates didn't create it-they took it over. Its sheathing system is highly effective, highly effective indeed. The pirates could be lying, of course, but once the word got out to them that we knew about the asteroid, most of them seemed to swell with a kind of arrogant pride, even welcoming the fact that we had the information. They were confident that we couldn't do anything about it."

"And that explains, I'm sure, why we couldn't find them in spite of an exceedingly thorough search of the area," concluded David Foster, feeling somewhat vindicated.

"So are we to go find the asteroid?" put forth Joe, leaning forward in his chair.

"No, Mr. Taylor. We want you to find the man who discovered it."

Joe leaned back into his chair, a puzzled look on his face. Oritz Konig continued.

"The asteroid was discovered almost twenty years ago by an asteroid miner named George St. George. He's a loner, like so many of the asteroid miners. He makes a good living, but has no fixed address. He's constantly on the move and spends most of his time away from settlements in the Belt. He'll disappear for months, maybe a year or two-then show up on Ceres or in Eagle City with what he has found in the Belt and turn it into cash and supplies. Then he's gone again.

"Apparently he discovered this remarkable asteroid the pirates took over. He's a trusting, almost naÂve, decent man. He spoke unguardedly about his find at one time and Troy Putnam learned about it. Putnam had St. George take him to the asteroid and paid him a good price for the knowledge. St. George showed Putnam where it was, and then disappeared into the Belt. Putnam went on to build his empire of pirates."

"And now you want us to find St. George so he can show us where the asteroid is," inferred Zip.

"It's not that simple, Starman. We've also learned that the pirates who escaped are the most dangerous of the lot. Their leader is a very bad number named Lurton Zimbardo. The pirates were willing